Nelson top RVFD firefighter

Brady Nelson Jr. (R) picks up the firefighter of the year plaque from Fire Chief Herbie Vaughan. Reporter/Mike Brown
Brady Nelson Jr. was named the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department’s Firefighter of the Year Monday as the department held its annual Christmas party and banquet in the Rockdale Junior-High School commons.

That’s the department’s highest award and is voted on by the membership, according to Fire Chief Herbie Vaughan.

Vaughan said other finalists for the award were Michael Stewart and Travis Fisher.

Stewart was last year’s firefighter of the year.

The banquet opened with a prayer by Mike Korenek and Vaughan served as master of ceremonies.

PAST CHIEF—
He presented a special past chief’s plaque to Warren Matous, who served as fire chief for most of this year.

Matous, who has been fire chief for three years, resigned in October after accepting a job which required him to be out of town for long periods.

Vaughan, who is also Precinct 3 constable, was named fire chief by volunteers on Nov. 8.

Vaughan presented service plaques as follows:

• 20 years—
Barton Crane, Lee Parsley, Brian Wallis, Matous. “That 1990 class of guys who became firefighters was a great one for the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department,” Vaughan said.

In addition to firefighters, their families and the auxiliary, the banquet was attended by members of the Rockdale Police Department, the Milam County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Safety state troopers, city and school officials and retired firefighters and several guests of the RVFD.